Nawaz Sharif’s health
Nawaz Sharif’s health
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As Nawaz Sharif’s picture went viral, there are some serious question about the credibility of medical professionals and the current government in Pakistan. Was Prime Minister Imran Khan betrayed by his own ministers? Did Nawaz really go to London for his treatment? In the latest development, Punjab Health Minister Yasmin Rashid on Tuesday said that the relief granted to former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for medical treatment abroad had expired and he should submit an updated report regarding his health to the provincial authorities.

As Nawaz Sharif’s picture went viral, there are some serious question about the credibility of medical professionals and the current government in Pakistan. Was Prime Minister Imran Khan betrayed by his own ministers? Did Nawaz really go to London for his treatment? In the latest development, Punjab Health Minister Yasmin Rashid on Tuesday said that the relief granted to former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for medical treatment abroad had expired and he should submit an updated report regarding his health to the provincial authorities. Rashid made the statement while talking to reporters in Lahore on Tuesday afternoon. The provincial minister said that the court-granted relief for the former premier had expired on December 25, and photos of him dining out in London were now creating controversy. It is worth noting that a picture of ailing former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif at a local restaurant in London has gone viral on Monday. The picture shows Nawaz Sharif having dinner with PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif, former finance minister Ishaq Dar, Salman Shehbaz, Hassan Nawaz and others. Nawaz Sharif’s exit from the country on the orders of the Lahore High Court on medical grounds was not an easily digestible proposition for Prime Minister Imran Khan who had championed the PML(N) leader’s disqualification after the Panama Papers leaks, his sentencing and making his subsequent incarceration as uncomfortable as possible.

Although it was Mr Khan’s own trustworthy team that provided all the evidence proving Mr Sharif’s ‘critical condition’, as soon as he was seen boarding his air ambulance to fly to London on his own two feet, the PTI began questioning the severity of his condition. A picture has now emerged where Mr Sharif can be seen at a London eatery with his family, which has the PTI riled up, adding to its suspicions. The Sharif camp in London has provided the justification that the outing was on “doctor’s orders”. The Punjab government, that has to decide on an extension in time to Mr Sharif for him continue treatment abroad, is now seeking latest reports from his personal physician. While the PTI government is fixated on how ill Mr Sharif really is, other pressing matters requiring its immediate attention are being ignored. There is continuous pressure on the government from the business community to provide some relief. A delegation from the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) put forth its demands to the PM asking for a cut in interest rates, reduction in energy prices and withdrawal for the CNIC requirement for purchases of over Rs50,000. Short of this, they claimed, more industrial units would shut down. This is near impossible, as the State Bank of Pakistan has said monetary policy tightening has to continue, the IMF will not allow any reduction in energy tariffs and a failure to meet tax revenue targets means the CNIC condition will remain intact.

Those who suspect a deal point towards the past. If the history of Pakistan is any witness to help then it may be true. No politically powerful person in Pakistan’s history has ever been punished in a court of law; convictions even if obtained in lower courts are almost always overturned by superior courts. The system simply does not have the will to punish powerful people- they argue. In this case, powerful sections of media, doctors and other actors active behind the scenes may be making a case to pressurized Prime Minister to let Nawaz go to London under a medical emergency, its being said. The PTI government should prioritise the many issues it faces. It is well within its rights to seek updates on Mr Sharif’s health. It can additionally send a team from the London embassy to make its own investigations. But the Sharif obsession should not divert its attention from more crucial issues that it is failing to address effectively.